I admit it, I am in a slump. This is sort of a continuation of my last fic "Friends". I am definitely more of a Taiora/Mimato fan, but I wanted to deal with Sora and Yamato's dating.


A cloud passed over the sun, dimming its brilliant rays and casting a shadow over the compound dotted with trees. The expression on the girl's pretty face darkened as well, as she considered that the shadow cast by the clouds fit her dark mood perfectly. Only moments earlier, she had been humming a happy tune as she carried her lunch out to the picnic tables. When she had spied her two friends seated on a blanket beneath a tree, she had considered joining them, but then she saw Koushiro whisper something in Miyako's ear and decided with a start that maybe they wanted to be alone. She smiled at that, thinking, "How could anyone help but smile at young love?". Her smile faded when she glanced across from the couple and spied another pair of would-be lovers seated on the grass beneath a shade tree not a hundred yards from Koushiro and Miyako. Taichi and Mimi sat on the grass speaking intently to each other. Mimi raised her fingers to Taichi's mouth and spoke something that made Taichi lower his eyes. Then Taichi grasped Mimi's hand and pulled it away from his mouth, but continued to hold it. The two spoke for a few moments more before Mimi placed her hands in Taichi's and Taichi -

The girl witnessing the scene felt her eyes begin to mist. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Taichi kiss Mimi's hands. She watched them as they spoke a bit more but her vision began to waver as the tears in her eyes threatened to fall. It was then that the clouds appeared, literally out of nowhere, darkening the mid-afternoon sky.

"Hey, Sora," a voice called from behind the girl. "Where do you want to sit?"

The girl blinked away the tears that were forming and cleared her throat. "Anywhere is fine, Yamato," she called over her shoulder. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you all right?" Yamato asked. Sora turned to face him, giving him a bright smile.

"Oh, I'm fine," she replied, her voice a little shaky. Yamato frowned and looked at her intensely, his blue eyes darkening.

"Have any of my fans been saying nasty things to you again?" he asked. Sora shook her head and smiled.

"No. No. Nothing like that," she assured him. "Come on, let's eat our lunch inside. I think it may rain." She walked back into the cafeteria but Yamato hung back for a few moments and gazed in the direction she had been staring when he had approached her. He spotted Taichi helping Mimi up from the ground underneath a shade tree. As Mimi came to her feet she gave Taichi a brilliant smile and hugged him tightly. Taichi blushed but Yamato noticed he didn't exactly try to break away from Mimi as she hugged him. Yamato's handsome features pulled down into a slight frown. He turned and followed his girlfriend back into the cafeteria.

"Whatever," he muttered softly.

"Do you think she likes him?"

"Huh?" Yamato muttered while making spiral designs in his pudding with his plastic spoon. Sora sighed in exasperation.

"Yamato, if you didn't want to eat lunch with me, I would have understood," she said evenly, trying to keep from snapping at him. "You haven't listened to the last five things I've said."

Yamato's head shot up at the inflection in her speech. He had known Sora long enough to understand her various tones of voice and what they meant. He could tell she was frustrated and on the verge of becoming angry. He gulped and looked at her pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Sora," he began. "I've had a lot on my mind lately. Trying to come up with a song to submit for this scholarship is really nerve wracking. Nothing I write seems good enough."

Sora's facial expression softened as she placed her hand on his. "I'm sure you're your own worst critic, Yamato." She paused, considering what she was going to say next, then shrugged and said it anyway. "Look, I know you don't like for anyone to hear your compositions before you've completed them, but if you'd like someone to give you feedback, I'd be honored to help."

Yamato pulled her hand to his lips and gave it a swift kiss. "Thanks," he smiled. "I might take you up on that."

Sora lowered her eyes as he kissed her hand. A pink blush crept across her cheeks. Yamato gently lowered her hand to the table and released it from his grip. The two started to eat their lunches in silence.

Every now and then Yamato would sneak a quick glance at Sora. "What did I do to deserve her?" he thought. "She's so demure and lady-like, but so strong and supportive. And how many other girls would understand that their songwriter boyfriends wouldn't want to share their work with them? She's always been so cool about the whole fan scene too, when most girls would be in a jealous rage over fanatical women throwing themselves at me. She's too good for me. I'm lucky to have her." He frowned and thought, "I wonder if she ever has second thoughts about Taichi? I mean, they were so close when we were in the Digital World. Everyone in the group thought they would end up dating. I know Taichi must have taken it hard when she and I hooked up. I wonder if she ever thinks about him and Mimi? The whole school's buzzing about the two of them. Well, it's not like they're keeping it a secret anyway. They're practically all over each other everywhere they go." Yamato gave a slight shake of his head and continued with his train of thought, " and I care about this - why? So what if Taichi and Mimi are dating? I should be happy for them. Man, I'm getting so stressed about this song writing contest that my entire perspective on life is all out of whack. Wit a minute! I'll write a love song to Sora! That will show her how much I appreciate her. I can even make it good enough to enter in the scholarship contest." With that, Yamato took out his notepad and began scribbling furiously.

As Sora ate her salad, she couldn't help but glance at Yamato every so often. "He's so handsome," she thought. "Like a god. And he's such a good friend. I am so lucky that he wants me. I mean, he could have any of the beautiful girls who chase him, but he's dating me." She shook her head sadly and thought, "I can't imagine why. Especially since it was obvious in the Digital World that Mimi had a crush on him. She's much prettier than me. I guess I should be grateful she moved to America or she would have been dating him instead of me." Sora's eyes widened at that thought. "Now where did that come from? I missed Mimi terribly when she was in the States. I'm not grateful she left. I wonder if Yamato wishes she hadn't moved." She watched as a frown crept across Yamato's features. "I wonder if he's thinking about her right now?" She shook her head. "That's enough! He is not in love with Mimi or he wouldn't be dating me. Besides, Mimi's dating Taichi now or at least that's what the rumors say. I wonder if that's true? I guess I could ask Taichi or Mimi. But I feel really odd talking to them lately. Besides I wouldn't want to be around when they're all over each other like they were earlier. That's really uncomfortable." Sora considered something for a moment, "I wonder why Yamato isn't more affectionate? We've been dating a lot longer than Taichi and Mimi and we aren't nearly as open with our feelings. Come to think of it, I suppose Yamato is too cool for public shows of emotion." Sora smiled as Yamato pulled out his notepad and began furiously scribbling. "Besides, I love him for other reasons. I don't need him to show me in public as long as he's able to be himself with me when we're together." She sighed and smiled, "I really am very lucky to have him."

As the girl and boy sat, one eating her salad and the other working in his notepad, a young man, seated nearby, observed them as he finished his lunch. He had been studying his medical textbooks when his two friends had walked in, but the obvious tension radiating from them, compelled him, almost subconsciously, to divert his attention to the couple. He was so deep in contemplation he didn't even notice the shadowy figure approach him from behind, until it was too late...